Pumpkin Butter Oat Squares with Candied Pecans

Well, it looks as if all signs point to waiting to upload my video until next Sunday. Thank you for all of your input in last night’s post. As Eric said, sometimes it is best to keep things under wraps. ;) The great news is that my post is completely finished and all I have to do next Sunday is hit ‘publish’. Thanks for your support and patience in waiting for the reveal of my video. I’m reeeeeeally excited for next Sunday and can’t wait to show you.

I have been wanting to make this variety for a while now and I finally made a new batch of pumpkin butter just for this occasion. This recipe involves a lot of steps so you can make the pumpkin butter and candied pecans ahead of time if you prefer.

Directions: Preheat oven to 275F. Line a square pan (I used a 9×9) with parchment paper and oil the sides of the pan and base. In a medium sized pot, prepare the pumpkin butter. Once cooked, remove from heat to cool.

Next prepare your candied pecans while the pumpkin butter is simmering. See below for recipe. When finished, set aside. Now preheat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, mix the chia or flax egg and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the oat base dry ingredients: oats, flour, Sucanat/brown sugar, baking soda, salt. In a small bowl, mix the melted earth balance, maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla, and chia egg. Stir well.

Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix well, using hands to mix well. Set aside 1/2 cup of the oat base mixture if desired (I didn’t in this recipe, but I probably would next time). Pour the oat mixture onto the square pan and press down with fingers. Use a pastry roller to smooth out if desired.

Pre-bake the oat base at 350F for approximately 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and pour on 1.5 cups cooled pumpkin butter and smooth out with spatula. Now sprinkle on the reserved 1/2 cup oat mixture and 1 cup candied pecan topping over top of pumpkin butter.

Bake at 350F for another 8-10 minutes. Allow to fully cool on counter for about 20 minutes and then in the freezer for at least 30-50 minutes before gently removing from pan and slicing.

Baking notes: These bars taste better the next day after the flavours have developed and the moisture from the pumpkin butter has moistened the crust. Store in fridge for up to 1 week. I used spelt flour this time and I think it resulted in a more crumbly base, so I’m not sure I would use spelt flour again.

Candied Pecans:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

Directions: Preheat oven to 275F. Add 1 cup of chopped pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes being careful not to burn. Remove from oven and place in a large bowl. In a medium sized pot, add all ingredients (except pecans!) and heat over medium stirring well to blend. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low-medium to simmer. Be careful not to burn. Keep stirring the mixture for about 10 minutes until it gets thick and caramelizes. Once it has thickened up remove immediately from stove top and pour into bowl with pecans. Stir quickly being sure to coat all the pecans. This is a very quick process and it is essential that you not leave the syrup mixture sitting for any amount of time or it will harden.

When I made the candied pecans I did not stop to take a photo of the syrup and it worked SO much better! :)

Much better than my walnut attempt.

Now make your oat base!

I pre-baked the oat base for about 15-18 minutes before layering on Pumpkin Butter and pecan topping. I did this because I wasn’t sure if the crust would harden up if I baked it together with the pumpkin butter because the pumpkin butter has so much moisture in it. If anyone tries baking it all at once let me know how it works out!

After pre-baking, spread on 1.5 cups cooled pumpkin butter. You could also use store bought pumpkin butter too.

Mmmmmm.

Pumpkin butter goodness!

Now sprinkle on candied pecans and reserved oat mixture (I forgot this step again, but would do it next time!)

Looking good.

Bake for another 8-10 minutes and then cool for about 20 minutes on counter.

Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes before removing from pan and slicing.

Makes 16 squares.

The squares are good after baking, but they are soooooo much better the next day once the flavours have had a chance to mingle and the moisture from the pumpkin butter has moistened the base.

The pumpkin butter topping isn’t overly sweet (you may want to add more sugar when making the pumpkin butter), but the candied pecans give it a bit of sweetness and also a nice crunch.

I made these as a thank you gift for a friend and it is taking all of my power not to eat them!

Anyone else forget about the time change today? I didn’t realize the time changed until about 11am and I have yet to change my clocks!

I embraced the extra hour in the day by catching on the phone with OSGMOM. I also had a beautiful 4 mile run. The weather is gorgeous today and it was just the perfect day to get outside and clear my head.

What did you do with your extra hour today?

I will see you tomorrow morning for a quick and easy dinner recipe inspired by a fabulous restaurant dish I enjoyed on Friday night.

OT, but I gotta give it up for your photos. They are so, so crispy and delicious. And I am especially appreciating them now that I’m taking photos for my blog again! I don’t know if it’s about the camera or the skill, but I raise my mug of tea to you, friend :)

Looking forward to your video upload next week. Just don’t wait until the last minute to upload like last time. You never know when you are going to have power outages, internet interruptions, or just the business of the day slipping by.

I appreciate the extra hour but it still throws me off :( Those squares look amazing! I am new on this adventure of being vegan and have found it a lot of fun learning new things; however I just learned about the whole honey thing. I love it so much now I’m a little distraught. Did you ever have struggles giving up something you really loved while going vegan?

Cheese was the hardest thing for me, followed by eggs! Honey I could do without easily because there are so many other sugar subs. But of course, you can determine where you draw the line. I think there is too much pressure with the title of a vegan at times and I think everyone should tailor it to fit their lifestyle. Ie: If you want to eat honey, eat it by all meals. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing :)

I have yet to make either recipe that you posted that call for candied nuts… But, I have made the nuts twice! Glad to hear about your uncle doing better!
I can’t wait to see your post! I’ve been looking forward to it!

I’m soooo excited to see your PFB video next weekend!! It’s always tough to wait to reveal something good, but I’m sure it will be awesome :)

These look fantastic, as usual. I had several conversations with other bloggers this weekend in which we agreed that your recipes can do no wrong. They’ve always got me salivating the second the page opens!

My extra hour is going to disappear due to the California to NYC time change :/ I did enjoy the extra sleep last night though!! Hope you’re having a great end to your weekend!

i woke up sort of confused, our alarm clock was set on a different time zone so it automatically changed, and i’m in Sask so we stay the same. so i didn’t lose or gain any time, just had a little confusion when i woke up! lol

Yum! Those look amazing :D I made the apple streusel oat bars last week and they were gone in record time and I could only imagine how much my pumpkin loving family would love these. Thanks for the recipe and I can’t wait to see your video next week!

I don’t really have an issue with baked goods in the house anymore and I think this is due to two reasons, 1) I don’t restrict myself and don’t say ‘I can’t have any'; therefore I eat in moderation when I want some, and 2) its always around so it doesn’t feel like I have to eat all of it b/c I know it will be there tomorrow and the next day…does that make sense?

Thanks! That really helps me… I’m sometimes afraid to bake because I constantly pick at the raw dough/batter and then I feel like I’ve binged already and then that “screw it I’ve binged” attitude comes in and then I overdose on sugar. :( I think that would make it a lot less tasty, though… D:

I wish we could get an extra hour every day. I’ve been waiting for this time change for several weeks now and I’m so glad it’s here. Now I’ll be able to fit in early morning runs again… I’m just no good at afternoon/evening runs and they almost never get done.

I spent the extra hour stretching and then went for a brisk walk before church. After my half marathon yesterday I was feeling awfully stiff and tight and I would have been walking very strange for most of the day if I hadn’t been able to fit in the stretching and walk.

I’ve been reading your blog for a few months now, but am commenting for the first time! I LOVE every recipe you put on this site…you have helped me become healthy for the first time in my life. I’m 23, and when I got very sick as at the age of 5 from a cheeseburger I stopped eating meat. Since then I have struggled with my weight my entire life, especially because I was an athlete, as I never learned how to properly eat and relied on way too much pasta and bread. I have learned so much from reading your blog, I am starting to enjoy food, and I never have before. Green monsters and vegan overnight oats are what I look forward to in the morning…and while I’m still figuring out my lunches and dinners as I’ve recently become completely vegan, your blog has been the most helpful resource I have found. So thank you! I always love when I come here and there is something new to read or a yummy picture to look at. Your site also keeps me entertained during my organic chemistry course. That might actually be the best part. :)

These look SO SO good!! Pumpkin and pecans are 2 of my favourite fall foods (although I’m not sure pecans technically belong to any season,but to me they’re fall-y). With my extra hour today, I slept and it was LOVELY! Then I went to get in the car to teach my spin class but since my car clock doesn’t adjust on its own, I got a huge fright thinking I was an hour late. Oh daylight savings time…. gets me every year (twice!)